Rumors and Truths
by Kadi219
Summary: Raydor/Flynn - Written for the #ShandySunday Alternate Universe Challenge. Just a little twist on the Season 7 episode "Necessary Evil" (7x11); what were those personal reasons Raydor had when she spun her little retirement web?


Rumors and Truths

by Kadi

Rated K+

Disclaimer: It's not my sandbox, but I do enjoy playing in it.

**A/N:** Written for the #ShandySunday Alternate Universe Challenge!

This idea came to me from a reviewer, someone who, like myself, had questions about Sharon's comments in The Closer Episode 07x11 "Necessary Evil". When she lays her trap for the leak & Goldman regarding her false retirement, she claims both professional and _personal_ reasons. Captain Raydor doesn't strike any of us as someone who likes to bring the personal into the workplace, so why even bring that up? What could those _personal_ reasons possibly be?

"Necessary Evil" aired before we ever knew that Jack Raydor truly existed. The children had been mentioned, but who and how many was still a thing of fanon dreams. Since this _is_ an Alternate Universe, you may find that some canon facts have been… suspended.

Alas! **kdgriggs70** I hope this is how you envisioned it! Thanks! Enjoy!

Also for **kate04us** and **lontanissima** - we need more happy #Shandy feels in our lives. Hope this helps!

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><p>"…<em>and between that and a few things in my personal life, I feel that it<em>_'__s time for me to go__—_"

Sharon Raydor had absolutely no intention of retiring from the LAPD. It was the very last thing on her mind these days. The job offer she received from the Los Angeles Convention Center was real enough, but it wasn't a position that she was prepared to accept at this point in her life. It was a nice deal, they had even sweetened it for her, but she supposed that had more to do with the fact that she knew the Director of Operations than any real statement as to her credentials and experience.

Yes, that was exactly how the job offer had come into existence. To say she wasn't pleased with how things had been shaping up in her professional life recently was a true understatement. Sharon supposed she'd spent one night too many complaining about it to Gavin over dinner and a bottle of wine. Being the very good friend that he was, he took things into his own hands… after listening to just about as much as he could, he contacted a mutual friend of theirs and an old _companion_ of his. The next thing that Sharon knew she was receiving an invite for a sit down with Marcus Thompson, Director of Operations at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

She would be lying if she said she didn't think about it. She did. Oh she most certainly did, at length and from many different angles. So much so that the little speech that she had sold to Chief Pope and Commander Taylor was more than just a creative improvisation on her part. No, Sharon had rehearsed that speech a number of times while she considered whether or not she was really ready to give up her badge. In the end the answer was no. However much she was not liked, and however much that rankled at times, she did _truly_ believe in the work that she was doing. Furthermore, if she wasn't convinced before then, her little run-in with Goldman outside of Coach Carr's house had tipped the scales in the LAPD's favor.

Currently Sharon Raydor wanted nothing more than to rub his annoying little chipmunk face into a complete and total dismissal where the lawsuit was concerned. She may not particularly care for the tactics, behaviors, and most of the members of Major Crimes, but right was right and wrong was wrong. There was a gray area in between, yes she was well aware of that… despite what people said about her, but Goldman was no where near it.

The confrontation with him, followed by that with Coach Carr had left a bad taste in her mouth. She wasn't at all sure that she was very successful with the Coach, but at the very least he may think things through before jumping on the Federal Lawsuit bandwagon. When it came to Goldman, however, the little leach just made her skin crawl. Despite what he may say, and the image that he might _attempt_ to present, he was in it for the money. No, not what he would win in the lawsuit itself, but in the recognition and cases that would follow.

Sharon really wanted to rub his face in his defeat. Right after she fired a bean bag into it.

At the moment, though, there was a headache brewing behind her eyes. She leaned back in the elevator as it slowly rose from the parking level to the fifth floor, where the offices of the Professional Standards Bureau were located. Sharon had her arms folded around the leather bound binder in her arms, and it was pressed tightly to her chest while she tipped her head back against the wall of the elevator. Her eyes closed and she exhaled quietly.

It had been a long day, one that was a bit of her own making, but long just the same. Rumors were now circling the building. Her name was caught up in whispered conversations along with speculative looks. Everyone was now wondering about her, and what she was doing, what had happened, and where she was going. Oh, and of course, _why_ she was going. There were very few that would actually _care _if she left, but people were going to talk about it anyway. They would be curious. It was the nature of the human stain.

In the end, it didn't really matter. Sharon had proven her point. There was a leak, somewhere, within the upper echelon of the LAPD and most notably within or around the Major Crimes Division. News of her so called retirement spread like lightening, and of course Goldman had known. That didn't surprise her in the least. What surprised her was how quickly he had known. _Someone_ was talking.

Sharon drew another breath as the elevator began to slow. She cracked an eye open and saw that it had only reached the third floor, but still she straightened. She shook her hair back and relaxed her posture into something more casual. As the doors opened, so too did the binder. She took her pen and read through her notes, looking unconcerned and unbothered. Her mind, however, was still turning over the facts of the case. Already she had a call in to Gavin. They needed to discuss this development. Then they would sit down and do what they did best, plot the best way for cornering Major Crimes. It wasn't going to be easy, the team had already closed ranks. But if they had any hope at all of making it through this lawsuit then it was going to take all of Gavin's flair to impress upon them the seriousness of the leak. She knew them, their weaknesses, and would outline that for him. Gavin would attack, in that way that he did, but at least they would be getting somewhere. Then maybe she could do something else with her time.

She was thinking about that when the elevator doors closed again. She glanced sideways, to see just who had intruded upon her solitude, and sighed quietly. Sharon said nothing, but continued to read through her notes. She had gone back and catalogued the events of the case, beginning with her arrival at the crime scene late the other night and concluding with her conversation with Coach Carr. Now she was looking for any holes, any moment which would stand out and help in identifying the source of the leak.

She didn't move when the air in the elevator shifted, or when something warm and solid moved to stand beside her. An arm brushed hers and Sharon simply remained silent and still. Her hair fluttered, shifted when he leaned down. Then there was a warmth against her ear that almost made her smile. _Almost_.

"Tell me something, Captain. I'm a little curious." The familiar voice rumbled against her ear. "When you were updating the crime scene log, did you go back and note the reason for my delayed arrival?" His arm shifted along hers, but otherwise he didn't touch her at all. "I think it is important to note that, while I arrived well within the allowed window, I would have been at the crime scene sooner, except I was heavily involved with talking a superior officer into the shower."

The corners of her mouth twitched. Sharon looked up. She stared straight ahead for just a moment and then she gave him a wide-eyed look. "Oh gosh," she simpered sarcastically. "I knew I was forgetting something." Sharon flipped a page in her notepad and made a show of clicking the pen on. "Tell me, Lieutenant Flynn, do you feel compelled at this time to change your statement of facts and should I officially update the log." Her lashes fluttered at him and then she tilted her head and gave him a bland look, belied only by the sparkle of her green eyes.

His dark eyes glittered. He shifted his stance and clasped his hands in front of him. His head inclined and he nodded slowly. "I do, Captain. I feel very compelled at this moment." Then he leaned down and spoke quietly, "to do a lot of things." His gaze swept down her form, and then he stepped back. "Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to be a little busy. I've got a party to plan." Like flipping a switch, the casually playful tone was gone. It was replaced, an edge of steel creeped in. He stood straight and stiff. "Retirement party. But don't tell, I think it's supposed to be a surprise. _Captain_."

Sharon sighed. She glanced at him and shook her head. "I think I might have heard something about it. Your partner was quite gleeful at the idea. I wouldn't be surprised if he stopped on his way back to the office to pick up the balloons and streamers. Tell me, can I expect giraffes or monkeys?"

"…_So, apropos of nothing really, when can Major Crimes start planning your retirement party? I want to bring the balloon animals myself__…" _

It wasn't necessarily the wording, but the delivery which stung. It was something that Sharon was well accustomed to. At the same time, there was a part of her, perhaps it was egocentric, which was bothered by the idea. There she was, working very hard to help each and every one of them and they couldn't be bothered to appreciate it even a little bit. Instead they would like nothing more than to be rid of her. Yes, she understood it. Sharon didn't like tagging along behind them anymore than they did. She had better things to do with her time, and it was as she'd told the Chief. It was demeaning to her rank. She was sacrificing her time and her energy for the selfish circle that was Major Crimes. It was what it was, however.

Sharon knew that if she was truly bothered by it she would have accepted the job offer with the Convention Center. It stung, but in the grander scheme of her career and what she believed in, it really was hardly bothersome. This was the life that she had chosen or herself. If she wasn't liked, well, that just made her job easier in the end. She didn't have to worry about feeling guilty when she stepped on the toes of others in her quest for the truth. Most of the time, anyway.

There were a few with whom she had become entangled, either professionally or otherwise. One of which was standing beside her. Sharon cast a sideways look at him and tried to decipher what he was thinking. It wasn't always easy. He could be a closed book at times, while others he wore his emotions on his sleeve. Andy Flynn was a passionate sort. Moody and hot-tempered, playful and sometimes a bit of a goofball. She had tangled with him professionally so many times that there was a file cabinet in her office reserved just for him. Sharon closed the notebook in her hands and folded it against her chest again. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and faced him.

"Andy…" The elevator stopped again before she could get the words out and she drew a breath. She would like to think that if anyone knew better than to believe everything they heard about her, it would be him. It looked as though she was mistaken. That stung a little more than his partner's gleeful acceptance of her so-called retirement. Sharon glanced at the now open doors and wanted to sigh again, but held it. Instead, she walked forward, and squared her shoulders rather than allowing them to slump. There simply weren't enough hours in the day lately. Not enough time to do the things that she really wanted or needed to do. Sharon glanced back at him but she left the elevator. She had reached her floor, and now he was headed to his. She hadn't felt that separation quite so keenly before.

Sharon strode down the hall, heels clicking against the tile. When she made the turn to walk through the FID bull pen, she felt something at her back. She glanced behind her and noted, with some amount of surprise, that Andy had followed. Her brows lifted slightly, but his face was set, not giving away anything. Sharon's brows drew together and she held her tongue as she made her way across the room. Her office wasn't quite as large as Chief Johnson's, but it was spacious enough for what she needed. Sharon pushed into it and held the door as the Lieutenant joined her. Much like the other offices for department heads, one wall was glass, so that she could look out on her team. Sharon reached up and flipped the blinds before she walked around to her desk and dropped the notepad.

The very sight of her desk had her sighing. There was a stack of files on one end and more waiting in her inbox. So much work was left undone while she was tied up in the lawsuit. Sharon had always been a firm believer that work belonged in the office and her personal life belonged at home. She rarely, if ever, allowed the two to overlap. There were instances when it was unavoidable. Now, for example, and it seemed later when she would be taking this stack of work home with her so that it could be completed the two would be overlapping again. She weighed the impact of one against the other and decided that the choice would not degrade either. Rather than dwell too heavily on it, she turned and faced the man that was now closing her office door behind him. She tilted her head at him.

"Yes?" She asked, drawing the single syllable out and lifting her brows at him.

His gaze was hooded. He tapped his fingers against his thigh and took another step forward. Andy regarded her carefully. His choice of wording, he knew, would have to be equally as careful. There was only so much that could be discussed in this setting, and only so much leeway that she would allow him before the walls would come down with a resounding clang that would leave his head aching. Possibly for days. Sharon Raydor was a tough nut to crack, he had always known that. She could be aloof, and unresponsive, and there were moments when she could be just plain cold. Most of that was professional, but the part of it that was _her_ was more of a defensive response, he knew. She could frustrate the hell out of him on a good day. On a bad day he just wanted to shake her. The rest of the time, Andy didn't know if he wanted to throttle her or take her to bed. He typically opted for the latter, but only in the last year.

How long had they known each other? Years, probably more than either of them wanted to count. They were both on that back slide of fifty now, with more career behind them than in front. They had tangled so many times over the years that he couldn't count them all, but always with a result that was usually in his favor. Except those times when he was sent off to some training course or another for weeks on end. Although he supposed even that could be worse. He could be transferred, retired, or just flat out let go. In the end, he didn't have to like the work that she did, but someone had to do it. She was tough, but she was always fair. That was one thing that Andy knew full well that couldn't be argued about Sharon Raydor. She was always fair. Even when it wasn't pleasant.

He studied her now, he could see the frustration that was beginning to fray the edges of her carefully constructed countenance. There was not a hair out of place, save what she tucked behind her ear. Her suit was impeccable, but then they always were. When her hands moved to her hips, Andy knew that he had only moments to say what was on his mind before he'd be shown out the door, probably with a lecture for having wasted her time. Anyone else would recognize her stance as what it was intended to portray, Captain Raydor with very little patience. He saw beyond it, however. He could see the shift in her gaze, the edge of sadness in her usually sparkling eyes. Something was bothering her, although whether or not she would tell him was anyone's guess. He couldn't always predict what she would be willing to share, and certainly not in this setting, although that they were both standing where they were should be evidence enough of how things had changed.

He wasn't sure exactly when that happened. Andy always thought she was attractive, but at some point he began seeing the woman and not the reputation. Maybe it had something to do with all of the time she began spending around his unit. At some point he realized that she was just a person. That he liked to see her smile, and that the sound of her laugh made _him_ smile. Over the course of several conversations many months ago he found out that her kids had graduated college and were living busy lives of their own. The kids that she had put through college on her own because she finally divorced her absent husband after the youngest, her son, had left for Stanford.

Perhaps, Andy thought, he did realize when the change came. Last Christmas, when work had gotten in the way of both their Christmas plans. He'd lost out on time with his own kids, who he saw seldom enough, and Sharon had missed her flight to Utah. Oh, she got on another one when the weather cleared, but as she stated herself, Christmas was lost. He saw in her something he recognized quite well from looking in the mirror, someone who was lonely. Her husband was long gone, but now with her children grown and out of the house, there was nothing but a quiet emptiness to go home to.

That seemed to make her more human in his eyes. Someone who was approachable, and in Andy's mind, approachable and attractive made for a combination that he couldn't seem to resist. The first time he asked her out, she laughed at him and walked away. His ego might have been bruised if he hadn't recognized the self deprecation in it. He decided not to be swayed, and the second time he attempted to get her to join him for dinner or coffee, she merely rolled her eyes at him and snorted quietly. That third time should have been enough, Andy hit her with his most charming smile, the offer of dinner at a trendy restaurant downtown and her choice of a popular movie premiere or an evening at the theater. She hit him with her rulebook instead. Not literally, of course, but the lecture echoed in his head for days. It might just be that he was stubborn. He honestly wasn't hurting for female attention. Even now he knew he could find a date easily enough, and that was experience speaking and not his ego. The thing was, once his mind was set, it just wouldn't stop focusing on the one thing it seemed he couldn't have. In hindsight, it was going back a fourth time that won him that first date. When he approached carefully and just admitted that he wanted to get to know her, she finally cracked.

She was wary on that first date. Probably with good reason. They hadn't always gotten along and he did have something of a reputation. Still, it went pretty well, if he said so himself. He got a second date out of it. She had rules, good lord did the woman ever have rules. Andy reached up and rubbed a hand across his forehead, he smiled slightly at that thought. Her personal life was just that. She didn't want anyone to know that they were together, and at first it bothered him. Then he realized it was just the fact that she didn't want people speculating about her personal life at all, much less _who_ was in it. He got that. He respected it. After their third date, he was beginning to realize that he respected _her_, a hell of a lot more than he ever thought he did. She was funny, and she was warm, and the ice queen persona that she was projecting now was as much a show as it was a shield.

That was months ago, now, and still no one knew about them. There wasn't a single soul within the LAPD that knew that she spent more time in his bed than she did her own, that he tripped over her shoes in the dark on his way out the door to crime scenes, or that she liked to bake when she was upset. They didn't know that she went out with Gavin when she needed a glass of wine out of respect and care for him, no matter that he'd bought a bottle and placed it in his fridge for her, as that had never been his drink of choice, and he was at the point where it just didn't bother him to see it there. The officers on the other side of her door were probably those who knew her best out of everyone within that building, and even they didn't know that her feet were always cold, that she loved old black and white Hepburn & Tracy movies, and that her favorite item of clothing was an old, faded LAPD sweatshirt she had _borrowed_ from him and never returned.

They didn't know she was frustrated with her job, or that even right now as she tried to look impatient, that her feelings were hurt by the careless comments of those who had heard the retirement rumor. Andy would concentrate on that later, but at the moment, he was more interested in the rumor itself. He had to admit to feeling a little frustration of his own, along with a healthy dose of confusion.

"I thought you turned it down," he said finally. Andy's hands found his hips and rested there while he watched her. His brows drew together in a frown. "Hell, Sharon, you told me you weren't going to take it. When did you change your mind?"

_Why the hell didn__'__t you tell me_? That went unsaid between them, but it hung in the air, thick and heavy, like a dark cloud that was trying to rise over their heads. Sharon exhaled quietly and folded her arms over her chest again. This was neither the time, nor the place, for a conversation like this. That rankled. It itched between her shoulder blades while her lips thinned. She rubbed them together while she considered her response, and finally, she shook her head. "The point isn't that I told Chief Pope I was considering a job offer, but rather that it made the circuit of the building in less than a day." Her brow arched at him. "Goldman already knows about it. Tell me again, Andy, that there isn't a leak."

There was very little about the lawsuit that they could discuss, and if they went public with their relationship before the situation was resolved, all of her work would be undone. It was a sticking point between them. One of those personal reasons that would be behind her retirement, if she were in fact retiring. They were nearing a point where the relationship would either have to run its course and end, or they would have to step out of the shadows and let others know about them. It was a daunting step to take, and as little as Sharon wanted people to know about her life outside of the department, there were some things which couldn't be helped. This, with her and Andy, that was one of them. Timing, however, was not on their side. The lawsuit had proven inconvenient for both of them for a lot of reasons. As long as she was investigating the existence of a leak within his unit, Sharon could not admit to having a personal relationship with Andy outside of their work.

Andy didn't agree. He thought it would help the others be more accepting of her, that it would make her job easier. If she had to tag along behind them, auditing every moment of their cases, it might just be a little easier on all of them if the others knew her - at least a little, the way he did. He just couldn't see his way clear to believing that a leak existed. That someone inside Major Crimes was getting information to Goldman. His loyalty to his team went without saying. He expected the same of them. In all the years that she had known him, all the times she had investigated him, or was involved in a disciplinary situation that revolved around Andy Flynn and his actions, Sharon could never fault his loyalty. Not to his badge, and not to the people that he worked with. It was his passionate nature that pushed him over the line at times, made him do and say things out of that loyalty that got him in trouble and her involved.

Even now he was incredulous at the news that Goldman had already heard the rumor. Andy stared at her. He shook his head while his stance shifted. He ran a hand over his hair. "You got to be kidding me? How the hell does Goldman know about it? You just told Pope—"

"Yes," she said patiently. Sharon knew exactly when she told Pope about it. "When did Commander Taylor leak the information to your division?" Her brows lifted, and her face softened by small degrees. "I was testing a theory. One which proved my point." That was all that she could say about it, at least to him. Sharon shook her head instead. "I'm not going anywhere, and even if I were, after the little chat I just had with our good friend Mr. Goldman, I would change my mind." Her head tilted, she smiled. It was a bit gleeful. "I do have to say, it is nice watching the Chief jump through hoops in an attempt to keep me. It speaks to my ego. I cannot in good conscience accept any of his offers, but they are very tempting."

"Wait a minute." He pointed a finger at her. "You were playing an angle?" Andy's eyes narrowed while he thought through it. "So this whole thing about you leaving the department for a better job…"

"Hm." She shrugged. "How disappointed is your partner going to be?" Sharon watched him think it through. Andy was not an unintelligent man, just a little dense at times. Usually when he was being stubborn or operating under assumptions. His mind could turn over angles and ideas at a rate which surprised even her, not that it was him, but at how quickly he could process information. He was a truly intelligent man, just not one that always acted intelligently. Now that she knew him better, it was a bit endearing… if sometimes frustrating.

"Well, he spent hours calling party stores all over the city looking for balloon monkeys, so he'll be pretty damned disappointed, I can tell you." Andy shook his head at her. "It had to be someone else," he insisted. "I don't see how—"

"Be that as it may," Sharon cut him off quickly, because they shouldn't even be discussing this much of it. "The information is out there now. Either way, I'm going to have to resolve it."

Andy watched her glance away, toward her desk. His brows drew together again and he sighed. "Personal reasons? Really? That's what you went with? How about the fact that Taylor is a slime ball or that both of them have you working your ass off at two jobs," he waved a hand at her desk and now his temper piqued for a different reason.

A smile tugged at her lips. Sharon leaned a hip against her desk and clasped her hands in front of her. "Well, yes, personal reasons. When I was thinking about taking the job at the Convention Center, I rehearsed that speech in my head so many times that it was the first thing I thought of in the Chief's office." She gave him an enigmatic smile and just shook her head. "Really, I would think by now you'd know better than to believe everything you heard about me."

She was toying with him now. Andy rolled his eyes at her. He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. Yeah, she thought about it, taking that other job. She'd never do it, he realized now that he was right about that. Give up her badge? Maybe it was thinking he didn't know her as well as he did that bothered him more than—no, that wasn't it. It was that she'd make a decision like that without discussing it with him. That bothered the hell out of him. Especially when they _had_ discussed it. That was something they did now, they sat down and they discussed things that would effect both of them, like Sharon taking a job somewhere else. It wasn't only about sex, this thing with them, it never was. Andy snorted at her. "I don't know, I heard it was a damned good offer. You'd be nuts not to think about it."

"Mmhm." Her lips curved upward. "Indeed." He had a few things to say on the matter when it first came up. At the end of the day, he told her to do what made her comfortable, but he didn't like it. Because he'd never see her, except at home. It was a thought that both warmed her through and made her shiver at the same time. A home that he had spent the last few months trying to get her to move into. It was practical and convenient, closer to work for both of them, and she was there more than she was at her condo, but she couldn't move in with him as long as the lawsuit was hanging over their heads. They couldn't make it official, even if that's where she slept most nights. That rankled, for both of them. So yes, there were things in her personal life that she considered when it came to thinking honestly about taking a job elsewhere. There were things that she wanted, and things that she needed.

He was frustrated with her reticence to move in. Delaying him had caused more than one argument. In the end, he was waiting, and had promised that while he wouldn't always like it would probably raise hell about it from time to time, he would wait until the lawsuit was resolved for her answer. It didn't mean he wouldn't keep asking. He was stubborn. She adored that about him. Even when it drove her crazy.

Andy sighed. He shook his head again. "Okay. I have to go. They'll be looking for me upstairs." So she wasn't going anywhere. She wasn't changing her mind. She would give him hell later for thinking that she had. He might just be looking forward to that. He liked to fight with her. The making up was so much fun. He glanced at her desk again and frowned. "Dinner?"

Their cases kept them apart, something as simple as a meal together could be a novelty. Hell, when he was honest about it, he just liked being around her period. Thus, wanting her to move in with him. Yeah, so he was in love with her, he'd been ready to admit that for a while now. He just couldn't, except to her. He supposed that was enough. Their kids knew about them, but neither of them saw their kids enough for it to seem real. He had met the son, and this Christmas he was supposed to finally get to meet the daughter. His kids, well he didn't see them enough for it to matter anyway. Maybe someday he'd be able to introduce them to Sharon, but right now, it was more important that _he_ spend time with them. Something that she agreed with.

Sharon's gaze followed his to her desk and her lips thinned again. "Doubtful." She glanced up at him and there was regret in her eyes. "I think I'll probably be here until at least then, and then I should take the rest home with me. To the condo," she added, even when he nodded. When he looked at her, a brow lifted in askance, she only shrugged. "I'll be working late, it seems, to get caught up on my _other_ job." She was more touched than he knew that he would be so incensed on her behalf with their superiors when he didn't particularly like her job much. As he'd said before, though, _I don__'__t like your job, but I like you_. Although these days, he tended to substitute another word in place of like. She tended to allow it, even as she did much the same. Obviously, if they were at a point where they were thinking seriously about combining their lives, it went without saying that the were dealing with more than just a case of _like_.

Andy shook his head. "No." He caught her gaze and held it. There were words which couldn't be voiced within the walls of this building, even inside the sanctuary of her office. They could say a lot without saying anything at all. He wanted her _home_, and if she was going to be working, she could do that there as well as across town. "I'll figure something out." He'd either cook or order something, but there was no reason to send her across town just for the sake of a late night. She could do that at his place as well as she could hers.

She thought about it for a moment and the idea was rather appealing. Even if it was little more than a meal and knowing someone was there. "Alright." That was all she said on the matter. Then she tilted her head at him. "Was there anything else, Lieutenant?"

The moment was over. She let them linger in this little personal bubble longer than he thought she would. Andy flashed a crooked grin at her. "No, Captain. I think that was everything that I wanted to discuss. You'll let me know how editing that log works out for you."

"Hmm…" The sparkle was back in her eyes. "I will at that. Can I trust that you'll be a little more truthful in the future?"

"Absolutely," he drawled. Andy backed toward the door. "Next time, I'll even be sure to point out that the previously mentioned superior officer had her—"

"Thank you, Lieutenant." There was a hint of warning in her tone. "That will be all."

If it was possible for any one human being to both pout and smirk at the same time, Andy Flynn was that being. He shrugged at her as he turned. "Whatever you say, Captain. Oh, and, looking forward to discussing that retirement party in more detail." He winked at her. Breaking it to his partner was going to be fun. Listening to him whine afterward, not so much.

Sharon fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. She waited for him to leave before she groaned quietly. That man. She moved behind her desk and sank into her chair. She considered the work waiting for her and let her shoulders slump. She wondered how far she would get before she would be needed by Major Crimes again. Not that far, she was sure. Sharon reached for the stack of files nearest her and took the top most to begin reading. She would get more done at the condo, she knew. But it wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable…

She reached for her pen and tapped it against the open file. Sharon let her mind wander, for just a moment longer, to those things in her personal life which made the idea of retirement so appealing. It was those reasons which kept her pushing forward, as much as it was her own principles and professional standards. The sooner this lawsuit was resolved, the sooner she could spend a little more time indulging in those reasons. It would be worth a few more late nights. Especially when those late nights came with a foot rub or a solid male chest to lean against while she worked. Odd that the biggest complication in her life currently was also the simplest and most meaningful. She hummed quietly and turned her attention back to her work.

As she began to read, it occurred to Sharon that there was at least one person that would be truly disappointed to learn that the retirement rumors were false, and maybe his comments didn't sting so much after all. Especially when she imagined the look on Lieutenant Provenza's face when she delivered the news. Sharon smiled happily at that thought and let herself get lost in the world of disciplinary concerns and public safety complaints. There were days when she did truly enjoy being _Captain Raydor_.

~_FIN_


End file.
